My OneDrive folder is a messy digital attic, storing everything from crucial identity documents to random items like lecture slides from my freshman year. When I finally decided into my OneDrive, only to find files with random names floating everywhere... I feel overwhelmed and not sure where to start.

To Hoard or Not to Hoard

The dilemma then became: Should I buy more storage or should I do a “deep cleaning” of my folders? But how do I know what’s worth keeping? Is it possible that a random lecture slide, seemingly irrelevant now, can be useful in the future?

Infinity

Storage in the digital world is way different than what we have in the physical world.

In the physical world, space is expensive. We have to clean up and get rid of things we don’t need to maintain a tidy living environment. Otherwise, we will end up being “hoarders” - surrounded by mountains of unnecessary stuff.

However, in the digital world, storage space is close to infinity. Is it still necessary to be mindful of saving space for files? If I hoard every file, I can just tuck them away in folders where they won't be in my way. Why not save everything in the "cloud"? Who knows, it might come in handy one day.

Some people might argue that even though storing things online is cheaper than keeping them in our homes, it still costs money to pay for cloud services or buy hard drives. So, it might be a good idea to tidy up our digital files since keeping too many can get pricey.

And I keep wondering, how much digital space in bytes would it take to save everything from our whole life? And what will happen to all that data when we pass away? Do they just get erased?

All is Vanity

Even though we decided to spend the money, get the storage, subscribe to the cloud, and get hard drives. But are they secure? We know that hard drives can fail and lose data, and cloud storage isn't immune to problems either—accidents can still happen.

Our most precious digital content might just vanish in seconds. Similarly, our physical possessions can also disappear overnight due to theft, fires, or all kinds of unforeseen accidents.

Therefore, rather than trying to solve all the above questions, it’s better to just relax and not hold on too hard to our possessions, digital or physical. Nothing is 100% secure.

"And, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." Ecclesiastes 1:14